to fish

Simplified form of . Depicts catching fish () from the water (). In many ancient forms, it was mostly written either as two hands holding a net catching a fish or four fish swimming in a stream of water.

Components
氵 iconic component

  Iconic component

shuishuǐ

  

water

is a component form of .

鱼 sound,iconic component

  Sound Iconic component

  

fish

also represents the sound.

Evolution

渔 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
渔 Bronze script Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze script

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
渔 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
渔 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
渔 Traditional script Modern

Traditional script

Modern
渔 Simplified script Modern

Simplified script

Modern
Definitions

() 

to fish; seize; pursue; surname; fisherman

Most common words with 渔
Freq.
Word
Meaning

渔夫

fisherman

渔船

fishing boat

fisherman

渔民

fisherman

渔业

fishery